Draft Day Suit

Jake Delhomme was released from the Panthers today. There were tears shed and hands wrung by General Manager Matt Hurney and John Fox when they faced the press this morning.

Hurney  got choked up during the press conference, saying it was the hardest decision he’s ever had to make. I seriously doubt it was the hardest, but it’s a good sound byte for the press.

“It’s really hard to describe how hard this was,” he said. “It’s hard not to get emotional when you talk about it because he epitomizes everything we want. He’s been an excellent player for us.”

It’s hard to let a good guy go, especially when there is all that money to think about.

We all know that Delhomme had a rough season last year. I mean come on, there was interception after interception after interception. If he were to stick around for next season, there would be a tremendous amount of pressure. I don’t know if anyone deserves that. Oh wait, he’s getting paid millions of dollars to do his job. Yes, he deserves it.

Coach John Fox said: “He’s done some great things for this team. Two (NFC) championship games, a Super Bowl, all those comeback victories. I’m not sure I’ve had any more respect for an NFL football player than Jake Delhomme.”

Yet they are still letting him go.

Delhomme was, according to his teammates, a great team leader. Left tackle Jordon Gross said, “It’s tough. As a friend and a teammate he was always someone you could count on and did things the right way and was a leader and a family man. I’m glad to have him in my life and it’s hard when you learn that he’s not going to be around anymore.”

It almost makes me feel bad for the guy. Except of course for that $12.5 million left on his contract that he’s guaranteed.

Replacement Matt Moore took over for Delhomme in Week 13 last season and ended with a 4-1 record. Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb have been suggested additions to the roster for depth on the bench.

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My first recollection of the Grambling State University campus in 1990 was how run down it looked compared to the other state school just a few miles down the road.   Louisiana Tech in Ruston represented itself to the world with manicured lawns, freshly planted flowers and buildings that seemed to sparkle. Grambling on the other hand looked worn out and worn down.  At 23 years old, having graduated from another state school just a year previously, I couldn’t understand how two state run institutions could be so vastly different from one another, yet only have six miles of separation! After all, University of Arizona,  AS Who, and Northern Arizona all appeared well kept and current. But Grambling and Tech?  I didn’t understand why one school looked like it had a lawn service while the other looked like xeriscaping gone horribly wrong.   I’m positive my response upon seeing the Grambling campus was “Holy shit, what happened here?” Because I remember one of my friends telling me, “Well, Tech is the white school.”

Seriously? Didn’t anyone tell the state legislators that it’s 1990? How could they let this happen? How could they sit and let this disparity in their state university system exist? Easy, explained my car companion, “They blame the alumni, claiming Grambling alums don’t donate to their school while Tech alumni donate big bucks for upkeep.”  As we drove the highway home to Shreveport/Bossier-passing the  David Duke campaign billboards along the roadside, I felt as if our car had become a time machine and it was quite possible these two universities were stuck in 1901.

I was therefore floored when I found out that Louisiana legislators supported the opening of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum right on the campus of GSU and approved an unprecedented  3.3 million dollars be allocated to make the museum a state project.  And the museum opened only three years after Eddie Robinson passed away. That’s fast in Louisiana, and especially fast for Grambling.

Those of us who graduated from GSU understand the college began as the North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School and boasted 500 students. Though it enrolls 10,000 students presently, when I was there in the early nineties it still operated as if it only had about 500 students. Nothing moved quickly, almost everything on campus was still completed face to face, not electronically.  I remember when I was getting my paperwork together to graduate, I had to wait three hours for a staff member to return from lunch to sign off that I had never lived in the dorm because “She’s the only one who signs that paper.”  I’ll admit, when I first arrived on campus this kind of thing drove me crazy, but after being a Grambling student, I just learned to bring along a book.

But this type of educational experience was pure Grambling. Despite the slow pace and the low tech operation my professors cared about me in ways I couldn’t imagine at any other university, even calling me at home to check on me when I was sick and missed class!  On the day of my graduation the Grambling Marching Band circled around all of the graduates and played a special performance just for us.  This send- off put into motion the school motto “Where everybody is somebody” and encouraged us all to “Go and be that somebody we’ve cultivated, march to your beat, have integrity and represent!”  Coach Rob lived and breathed this message to his players.

Eddie Robinson played it that way too, only his instrument was his 57-year coaching career at Grambling. While he was most famous for his football record of 408 wins, he initially began his career at Grambling coaching men’s and women’s basketball. At least 200 of the football players Robinson coached during his tenure went on to the  NFL.  Coach Rob, as he was known on campus, was a different breed of coach. He not only cared about how his players performed on the field, he was invested in seeing them succeed academically. Eighty percent of his players went on to graduate from college, and he promised parents their sons would come out of Grambling and be productive young men.  Coach Rob could have gone on to be an NFL coach, but he chose to remain at Grambling. He is oft quoted as saying, “I have one wife and one job.”

And now he has one helluva history and a museum to house it.

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On Monday, a judge dismissed charges of simple assault and resisting arrest against Jeff Reed, kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The arrest occurred when Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth was peeing in the parking lot at Heinz field.

(I know. Same old story, right?  It seems like every time an NFL player gets in trouble, Matt Spaeth peeing is right in the center of it. I’m pretty sure that’s why Plaxico shot himself in the leg. Unofficially. It’s my own theory. I’ll let you know how it pans out.)

When officers went to cite Spaeth for whatever one is cited with for peeing publicly, officers say Reed took it upon himself to get involved and defend Spaeth.  I don’t hold this against Reed. I, too, fight for my and my friends’ rights to pee publicly. “FREEEEEEEDOOOOOM!” This isn’t England, King George.  This is ‘Merica.  We pee where we stand and we can’t stand no more or something.  It’s in the Constitution.  Look it up.  Jeff knows our rights. In fact, Jeff is probably even short for “Jefferson.”  (He totally should have used that in his defense. I should have been his lawyer.)

Reed was ordered back to his vehicle by officers, but being passionate in his cause to let the people govern their own urination and determined to defend his friend and teammate, Reed allegedly raised his fists at officers, likely in an attempt to scare them into submission when faced with the possibility of having to endure the thunderous blows from the ominous … kicker.  (I’ll bet they were super frightened.  It may have sounded like a giggle, but it was pure fear. Make no mistake about it.)

Reed declined to comment on the incident, but his attorney offered this:  “It hurts him that there are people out there that might think that he squared up and wanted to fight cops, or actually fought cops. That’s not Jeff Reed.”

I buy it. I mean, in all fairness, he’s a kicker. Let’s not blow this out of proportion. If anything, it was kind of cute like when your nephew puts on those big inflatable boxing gloves and punches you in the knee.  I almost want to pat him on the head and read him a story.

The dismissed charges were the most serious of the total four he faced, the judge deciding to postpone the decision on whether or not Reed will be held over for trial for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.  Reed was ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, which if he serves, the judge will consider dropping the remaining charges.

Here's Jeff out on the town performing his patented double peace sign, otherwise known as the "I'm such a douche."

This is not the first time Reed has been involved in post-game, bathroom-related antics. The first incident also  being last year when he mercilessly attacked a convenience store bathroom paper towel dispenser a few weeks after the Super Bowl.  Reed was ordered to pay $543 restitution, in addition to attending bathroom related anger management courses and sensitivity training.  (I made that last part up.  Except for having to pay the $543 for attacking a paper towel machine. That’s 100% true.  You’re right to fear them.)

I think the moral of this story is clear:   This is simply another case of a spoiled athlete thinking he can get away with anything because of what he can do with a ball.  Even though he’s just a kicker.  Will someone tell him that rule doesn’t apply to him? Sheez.  And the other thing we learn, perhaps the most important thing: paper towels are out to get to you.  Both lessons are important, but one will save your life.  Good luck.

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For a while now I’ve been hearing rumors that LaDainian Tomlinson might be leaving the San Diego Chargers. As a Bucs fan I am always excited when I hear that a super star player who is past his prime is available because you just know Tampa Bay is going to be looking at him. (Same with the Redskins, the Raiders, and the Dolphins –  we all know who we are.) Yet I was still surprised when the Chargers released L.T. yesterday.

I guess I assumed they would be trading him for something. He still had two years left on his contract. Yes, he has been plagued with injuries, and his salary cap figure was through the roof, but as 8th on the all time rushing list, a five time Pro Bowl selection, a former league MVP and the guy who led the NFL in rushing twice in the last five years you would think that San Diego would have gotten something for him. I’m sure Tampa or Washington would have been willing to cough up a couple of draft picks for LaDainian Freaking Tomlinson. No?

Did I mention he is a fantastic dancer?

Yeah, I went there.

Let’s hear it Draft Day Suit fans. Where will L.T. end up?

[photo: Peter Read Miller SI]